Use of diatoms in biostratigraphy, coastal and estuarine studies, paleoceanology, paleoliminology, earthquake studies, environmental quality and forensic studies. Includes listing of USGS diatom projects and links to other diatom websites.

Direct measurement of an important indicator of interannual variability is extended, using geological proxy measures, farther back in time to well before modern measurements were made. This tells us about the history of climate variability.

Proxy methods allow us to estimate ancient ocean temperatures but only if the method is calibrated using modern samples for which we measure the temperature. This is a proxy method using a sediment trap to collect planktonic foraminifera.

Information on mollusks and uses of the identification of fossil mollusks in the fields of biostratigraphy, geochronology, paleocoeanography, paleoecology and ecosystems history. Links to experts and related USGS projects.